Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ROME1993
2007-09-18 10:13:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Rome
Cable title:  

ITALIAN CONFERENCE ON CENTRAL ASIA FOCUSES ON

Tags:  PREL PGOV IT KZ KG TX TI UZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0230
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHRO #1993/01 2611013
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 181013Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9017
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ALMATY IMMEDIATE 0310
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT IMMEDIATE 0304
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK IMMEDIATE 0160
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE IMMEDIATE 0002
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL IMMEDIATE 0376
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT IMMEDIATE 0317
RUEHFL/AMCONSUL FLORENCE IMMEDIATE 2624
RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN IMMEDIATE 8936
RUEHNP/AMCONSUL NAPLES IMMEDIATE 2760
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ROME 001993 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV IT KZ KG TX TI UZ
SUBJECT: ITALIAN CONFERENCE ON CENTRAL ASIA FOCUSES ON
SECURITY, STABILITY, TRADE AND DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT

ROME 00001993 001.2 OF 004


Summary
- - - - -

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ROME 001993

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV IT KZ KG TX TI UZ
SUBJECT: ITALIAN CONFERENCE ON CENTRAL ASIA FOCUSES ON
SECURITY, STABILITY, TRADE AND DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT

ROME 00001993 001.2 OF 004


Summary
- - - - -


1. (SBU) On September 10 the Italian MFA hosted an
international conference on Central Asia in Rome. The
conference included the participation of the FMs from Italy
and Uzbekistan, DFMs from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan,
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Representatives of Italy, the US
(SCA/CEN Spratlen),EU, NATO and OSCE rejected any ideas that
Central Asian nations were pawns in a zero-sum game between
the West and Russia, saying the Euro-Atlantic community was
working in partnership with the region to develop
institutions, resources and access to the international
community. Central Asian representatives said that they
would jealously guard their sovereignty and work with
international partners on a basis of mutual respect and
common interests. Russian DFM Karasin cautioned the West not
to pressure the region to make immediate democratic reforms
and to respect the history, traditions and established
society of the region. Representatives of the Italian
business community were on hand to share their trade and
investment experiences in Central Asia and noted the
complexities of China's growing regional role. End summary.

Central Asian representatives: We Are More Than Just Energy
Producers
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


2. (U) Kazakh DFM Ermekbayev, Turkmen DFM Khagiev, and
Kyrgyz DFM Ibraimov noted that Central Asia welcomed
international engagement but noted that the relations should
be based on mutual respect and all interactions should be
mutually beneficial. Additionally, the international
community should stop seeing Central Asia as simply an energy
producing region. The region could cooperate on security,
environment, trade and military cooperation. In his
well-organized and forward-looking presentation in English,
Ermekbayev said Kazakhstan sought to expand its economy
beyond energy and become one of the 50 most competitive
economies in the world. All participants equated security

with the stability of their established regimes. On energy,
all representatives noted that they would jealously guard
their sovereignty and would carefully weigh their options
before entering into binding agreements. Uzbek FM Norov
criticized the EU for its lack of substantial investment
despite claims to want long-term engagement and greater
influence. Norov claimed EU nations combined provided half
as much investment as Russia and even less than China. He
belittled the commitment of 750 million euros over seven
years in the June 2007 EU strategy. Still, he insisted
Uzbekistan was a solid partner in regional stability and was
prepared to do more to counter threats of organized crime,
drugs, and religious militancy emanating from Afghanistan.
(Note: This past May, the EU reaffirmed some of its sanctions
against Uzbekistan over its human rights record. The EU will
revisit the decision in October, which may have provided a
pretext for Norov's gloomy portrait of Uzbek-EU relations.)

US: Options and Opportunities Needed for Sovereignty,
Stability and Prosperity in Central Asia
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - -


3. (U) SCA/CEN Spratlen outlined USG priorities - security,
regional economic integration and energy, and political
reform with democratic foundations. From the US perspective,
success in each area reinforced success in other areas. The
US supported political and economic reform, rule of law, good
governance, human rights and religious freedom, free trade
and open markets, development of small businesses, energy
investment, and cooperation in the fight against terror and
weapons of mass destruction, all at the same time. She
outlined USG security cooperation with governments of the
region. Spratlen added, however, that as long as segments of
the population continue to be economically marginalized, they
will be vulnerable to the call of extremism. On economic
integration, the US is pushing for greater regional

ROME 00001993 002.2 OF 004


integration through infrastructure and other linkages to
Afghanistan and South Asia, as well as expanded access to
international markets. Energy resources, if managed wisely,
could become an engine for growth and modernization. Energy
should not be the sole basis of the economy, however, and
investment in other sectors was crucial. Governments of the
region needed to fight corruption, strengthen the rule of
law, and improve judicial institutions in order to create a
favorable investment climate. Ultimately, however, the US
believed that only democratic reform would provide stability
and economic prosperity in the region.

Italy: We Want More Influence
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


4. (U) FM D'Alema noted that Central Asia's importance to
Europe and to Italy, in particular, was growing. Italy hoped
to become a leading EU partner for the region and hoped to
develop historical and ancient ties to the region to continue
to help the region open up to Europe. D'Alema added that
Italy's interests were not entirely based on the region's
energy production. Italy looked to the countries of Central
Asia for cooperation on security, the fight against
terrorism, organized crime, and drug and human trafficking.
D'Alema insisted that, like other players in the region,
Italy was interested in promoting democratic reforms,
including respect for human and religious rights. Italy,
unlike other powers, rejected an aggressive approach to
promoting democracy, preferring a long-term, multilateral
approach through the EU, OSCE, NATO, SCO and other fora.

Russia: Change is Evolutionary, not Revolutionary
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - -


5. (U) DFM Karasin noted that 16 years after the unfortunate
events of 1991, the region continued to have serious social
and economic problems domestically and between themselves.
Additionally, the region was confronted by instability
emanating from Afghanistan, which the US and NATO had failed
to contain. Russia welcomed Western engagement but urged the
West to respect historical, social and traditional values
that had developed in the region. The international
community should not expect a historical leap, but rather
should prepare for evolutionary change. Central Asia was
growing in importance and Russia had a significant role to
play given its common history in the region. Russia welcomed
US and other Western involvement but noted that any foreign
military presence could be misinterpreted. Karasin agreed
that there was no great game afoot in the region and Russia
was open to the idea of new energy routes and competition.
The West, however, was politicizing the issue of alternate
energy routes and applying a double standard in its attempts
to control new supply lines.

EU/NATO/OSCE: Central Asia Undergoing a Complex Evolution
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


6. (U) EU Special Representative for Central Asia Morel
agreed that Central Asia was not a pawn in a zero-sum game
between Russia and the West. Instead the region was
undergoing a complex evolution with five independent states
pursuing their own interests. The EU was working to increase
its engagement with the region after a slow start. In
1992-1993 few EU nations had a presence in the region. Today
the 27 nations have strong representation. The EU has
significant security, commercial, and social interests and is
committed to long-term investment and engagement. The EU
will provide a frame of reference for bilateral relations and
will also work through the OSCE, EUROSEC, and SCO to extend
its influence. To implement its strategy, Morel noted that
he encouraged increased bilateral visits, parliamentary
commissions and the opening of embassies. The EU would also
support and encourage private investment in energy. He
noted, however, that there was no hidden agenda in the EU's
efforts to increase its presence and these efforts should not
be a threat to anyone.


ROME 00001993 003.2 OF 004



7. (U) Perrin de Brichambaut, Secretary General of OSCE,
noted that OSCE was an indispensable actor in the region.
With 56 member states, OSCE is the largest security
cooperation organization in the world and the Central Asian
countries had already become full partners on all issues. He
noted that a Kazakh chairmanship of the organization was
under serious consideration. The infrastructure, experience
and expertise of the OSCE made it an important player in the
development of the region. It was expansive (included Asia,
Europe and North America),inclusive (participation of all
nations of the region) and rapid in its response to needs of
its members.


8. (U) NATO Representative for Central Asia Tuncer agreed
that the engagement of NATO through the PFP program was not
an effort to dislodge or substitute the influence of other
players in the region. Additionally, NATO would not compete
with or duplicate the efforts of any other organization in
the region. Tuncer added that since the 2004 Istanbul
summit, NATO had undertaken to increase its engagement with
Central Asia and had appointed a permanent representative.


9. (U) Executive Director of the UN Office for Drug Control
and Crime Prevention Costa noted that Central Asia's
participation in the fight against drugs was crucial. The
vast majority of the world's opium supply originates in South
Asia and Central Asia was becoming a key transit point.
Fortunately, the nations of Central Asia do not border the
poppy producing provinces of Afghanistan. Unfortunately,
Central Asia is close to the majority of laboratories that
converted the product into opium. As a result of being
closer the "value-added ladder" of drug production, Central
Asia was becoming more vulnerable to the effect of drug
trafficking. The UN was working to establish programs
promoting rule of law and border control to stem the flow of
drugs and associated problems. The UN was prepared to work
directly or in conjunction with other international
organizations or bilateral partners to continue this fight.

Italian Commerce: Struggling to Find Footing in Shifting Sands
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -


10. (U) In contrast to government and IO officials, ENI
representative Maugeri believed that the region was caught in
a competition between the West and Russia for control of
energy resources and the right to develop and export those
resources. Central Asia's energy reserves are not quite as
large as Saudi Arabia's but rivaled Iran and Iraq's. The
challenge for the international community would be to develop
the sustainable extraction of these resources. In Maugeri's
opinion, China's influence in the region was growing and
would eventually become dominant. Maugeri noted that ENI's
interest were long-term and expected that it would endure ups
and downs. Edison representative Quadrini added that along
with Central Asia, the political and economic influence of
transit countries would increase. The EU and other energy
consumers needed to be prepared for the political and
economic demands of transit nations.


11. (U) A panel of representatives from non-energy-related
firms Unicredit, Indesit, Finmeccanica, and Todini and ANCE
(a small textile and design operation) were invited to
provide examples of Italian success stories in Central Asia.
All agreed that the domestic market was becoming increasingly
sophisticated and developed, but they also provided personal
narratives of unfair competition, cut-throat labor markets,
lack of Italian government concern for their operations, and
changing domestic rules.

Comment
- - - - - - - -


12. (SBU) The Italian government is slowly moving up the
learning curve with only two embassies in Central Asia
(Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan). FM D'Alema seeks a role for his
government in a region Italy sees as increasingly strategic,
yet uncertain. Conversely, Italian companies with 10-15
years of experience in the region seek to sustain their place

ROME 00001993 004.2 OF 004


in a rapidly changing market. Although the Italian MFA
agreed with the US assessment that the region was not the
subject of a great game between the West and Russia, its
worldview is decidedly Eurocentric. The US and Russia were
invited to speak in the opening session along with the EU.
No other regional actor, including Turkey, was invited to
speak. Poloff later confirmed that the Chinese Embassy in
Rome had not even been invited to send an observer, while
some countries, including Poland, the Netherlands, and Latvia
were invited to send personnel.

(U) This cable was cleared by SCA/CEN Pamela Spratlen
SPOGLI